


Crossing Mars

by Oblivion_Wanderer



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Mars, reflections on searching for the past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-04-27 20:20:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14433342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oblivion_Wanderer/pseuds/Oblivion_Wanderer
Summary: Nelan arrives on Mars near the southern pole, looking to track down a mysterious message.





	Crossing Mars

**Author's Note:**

> In the hype for the upcoming Warmind dlc, I wrote a thing about my Hunter arriving on Mars. Featuring red sands, ice, reflections on searching for the past, and mission objectives. I also looked into a bit about the location Hellas Basin; an actual place on Mars.
> 
> Also, in here there's tiny hints to a future story I wanna write in which Nelan does find out her past ;)
> 
> Set to and named after the song "Crossing Mars" from the soundtrack to The Matrian.

Her feet hit the dusty red sands the instant she had transmatted out of her ship. She’d been on Mars before, many a time. She’d fought Cabal here, before the Red War, and occasionally Vex, who for some strange reason were here as well (she assumed it was because of the gate to the Black Garden). She’d been to Phobos, where she had first encountered Taken. This time however- this was farther than Nelan had ever ventured on the red planet.

There was red sand here, of course, but here and there she could see ice patches poking out through the sand. This time she had come to the more polar area of Mars, toward the southern pole, to a place called Hellas Basin (more scientifically known as Hellas Planitia). It was rumored that somewhere out here was a facility that was possibly linked to the Warmind. Indeed Nelan saw something in the distance, a structure, but she couldn’t make it out fully just yet.

It was partially for that reason she had been lead here.

“This is where the message originated from.” Her Ghost, Ivo, informed her as he materalized beside her.

Nelan took a look around the area before turning to her Ghost. “You’re certain?”

“Absolutely.”

“Never been this far south on Mars before. What do we know of the area?”

“It’s a crater, in simple terms.” Ivo explained. “A largely recognizable feature of Mars, measuring 1,400 miles in diameter and at coordinates of 42.4 S, 70.5 E. It was theorized to be created by an asteroid impact.”

“Why build something in a crater? And down near the southern pole? What must the people who came here before have been thinking?”

“In surviving Golden Age records, it is said Humanity had their eyes on Mars for a long time, even before the Traveler’s arrival. After they had reached the Moon, Luna, Mars was the next step. They were also searching for evidence of life here, but I guess when the Traveler appeared here they got their answer.”

“Maybe...” She paused, remembering why she was out here. The message she had been told about- Cayde told her it had come from- “Do you think she’s really out here?”

“Who? Bray?”

“Yes, Ana Bray. Why would she be out here though?”

“Looking for something, no doubt.” 

“Cayde said the last he heard of her, she had been looking for answers to her own past. She disappeared and hasn’t been seen since. Looking for her past, though- even though… she’s not supposed to...”

Ivo flew into her field of view. “You mean like you did? You never told anyone, aside from Lucy and Murph...”

Nelan looked away from him. “It was just something that came up; that person was a shadow from before.”

“You mean you let yourself be baited by it. He used it to get to you.”

“That bastard  _ hacked  _ you to get to me. I had to follow the trail to find him; to make sure he wouldn’t hurt you again.”

“I know...”

Some time after helping Osiris deal with the Vex problem on Mercury, there had been… and incident of sorts, which just so happen to reveal her past in the process. She had been baited with clues to her past, and had been warned not to fall for it. She wasn’t supposed to seek her past. Nelan had seen it as the only way regardless. She had made up a story to hide what she had found, but her truth had still been revealed to her.

The only ones who knew were, Ivo, of course, and her two fireteam members, who swore to keep it a secret. 

“Nelan… He won’t hurt me anymore. And do you think I’d ever really leave you? Something like that won’t kill me so easily.”

Nelan looked back at him, and she put her hand up so she could touch Ivo’s shell; his lovely shell with the Hunter’s symbol painted on the front.

“We should get moving; pinpoint the exact origin.” Nelan said, changing the subject. “Maybe we’ll find Bray in the process.”

“An excellent idea.” He agreed. “Let’s roll. I’ll bring up your Sparrow.”

She smiled at him behind her helmet, and a moment later her Sparrow appeared. Ivo tucked himself into her hood as she got on, and she started up the engine. 

“What do you think she’s like?” Nelan asked as they headed off. “Ana Bray, I mean.”

“I wouldn’t know.” Ivo replied. “I never had the pleasure of meeting her or her Ghost. I believe she’s a Hunter though, like you.”

“She’s a Hunter? Really?”

“So I’ve heard; a very, very talented Hunter.”

“Oh...”

“But she doesn’t compare to you, Nelan. You’re  _ my _ Guardian, and you’re the best Guardian in my book.”

Nelan appreciated his words of encouragement. She loved him for that.

“Let’s go see if we can find her then; see what exactly is the meaning behind this message.”


End file.
